Systems and methods for determining quality levels for videos to be uploaded

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can define a set of video quality levels. One or more social engagement signals associated with videos uploaded at each video quality level out of the set of video quality levels can be acquired. Information associated with each user out of a set of users can be acquired. A respective video quality level for each user can be determined based on at least one of the information associated with each user or the one or more social engagement signals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/161,955 filed May 23, 2016, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FORDETERMINING QUALITY LEVELS FOR VIDEOS TO BE UPLOADED,” the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully setforth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to the field of multimedia processing.More particularly, the present technology relates to techniques fordetermining quality levels for videos to be uploaded.

BACKGROUND

Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a widevariety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, forexample, interact with one another, access content, share content, andcreate content. In some cases, users can utilize their computing devicesto generate, download, view, access, or otherwise interact withmultimedia or media content, such as images, videos, audio, and text.For example, users of a social networking system (or service) can load,stream, access, and/or share video content items by utilizing theircomputing devices.

In some instances, users can access, view, upload, and/or share variousvideo content items (i.e., videos), such as via a media sharing onlineresource. For example, the media sharing online resource can be includedwith the social networking system. However, under conventionalapproaches specifically arising in the realm of computer technology,storing video content items can require significant resources at thesocial networking system. Moreover, conventional approaches can, in manycases, fail to take into consideration that certain users may desire toupload lower quality videos to reduce data consumption while other usersmay desire to upload higher quality videos regardless of dataconsumption. Accordingly, conventional approaches can create challengesfor or reduce the overall experience associated with utilizing,accessing, or interacting with media content such as videos.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems,methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to definea set of video quality levels. One or more social engagement signalsassociated with videos uploaded at each video quality level out of theset of video quality levels can be acquired. Information associated witheach user out of a set of users can be acquired. A respective videoquality level for each user can be determined based on at least one ofthe information associated with each user or the one or more socialengagement signals.

In an embodiment, determining the respective video quality level foreach user can further comprise analyzing the one or more socialengagement signals. Upload cessation data associated with each user canbe acquired from the information associated with each user. The uploadcessation data associated with each user can be analyzed. The respectivevideo quality level for each user can be identified such that acalculated upload cessation likelihood metric is minimized while acalculated social engagement likelihood metric is maximized.

In an embodiment, one or more machine learning processes can be appliedto the information associated with each user and the one or more socialengagement signals to determine the respective video quality level foreach user.

In an embodiment, the one or more social engagement signals can beassociated with at least one of a like operation, a share operation, acomment operation, an absence of a delete operation, or a saveoperation.

In an embodiment, the information associated with each user can includeat least one of a property of a respective device for each user, anetwork condition associated with the respective device for each user,upload cessation data for each user, or a preference provided by eachuser.

In an embodiment, the property of the respective device for each usercan be associated with at least one of a codec capability, amanufacturer identifier, a model identifier, an operating systemversion, or a location.

In an embodiment, the network condition can be associated with at leastone of a network type, network bandwidth, network connectivity, networkavailability, a network address, or a round-trip time.

In an embodiment, the upload cessation data for each user can indicateat least one of a user-initiated video upload cancellation or a videoupload failure.

In an embodiment, each video quality level in the set of video qualitylevels can be associated with at least one of a resolution, a bit rate,or a codec.

In an embodiment, a particular video quality level out of the set ofvideo quality levels can be identified for a particular region. It canbe determined that a particular user, out of the set of users, islocated in the particular region. The particular video quality level canbe selected for the particular user prior to acquiring the informationassociated with each user out of the set of users.

It should be appreciated that many other features, applications,embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will beapparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detaileddescription. Additional and/or alternative implementations of thestructures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methodsdescribed herein can be employed without departing from the principlesof the disclosed technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system including an example video qualitymodule configured to facilitate determining quality levels for videos tobe uploaded, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example data acquisition module configured tofacilitate determining quality levels for videos to be uploaded,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example quality determination module configuredto facilitate determining quality levels for videos to be uploaded,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example scenario associated with determiningquality levels for videos to be uploaded, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method associated with determining qualitylevels for videos to be uploaded, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method associated with determining qualitylevels for videos to be uploaded, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of an example system including anexample social networking system that can be utilized in variousscenarios, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a computer system or computing devicethat can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology forpurposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like referencenumerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employedwithout departing from the principles of the disclosed technologydescribed herein. It should be understood that all examples herein areprovided for illustrative purposes and that there can be many variationsor other possibilities associated with the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Determining Quality Levels for Videos to beUploaded

People use computing systems (or devices) for various purposes. Userscan utilize their computing systems to establish connections, engage incommunications, interact with one another, and/or interact with varioustypes of content. In some cases, computing devices can include orcorrespond to cameras capable of capturing or recording media content,such as images or videos (including sets of video image frames or stillframes). In some instances, computing devices can be utilized by usersto view, edit, upload, post, and/or share media content items such asvideos. For example, users can access a media sharing online resourcevia their computing devices in order to watch, provide, share, and/orotherwise interact with video content. In this example, the mediasharing online resource can be provided by or included with a socialnetworking system (or service).

In many instances, conventional approaches specifically arising in therealm of computer technology for processing videos can require resources(e.g., storage space) in order to store, maintain, and/or provide accessto videos. As the quantity of videos and/or the quality of videosincrease, the amount of resources required can increase and becomeundesirably expensive or costly to the social networking system.Moreover, conventional approaches can, in some cases, require differentuploading users (i.e., uploaders) to upload videos at the same quality.Such conventional approaches can fail to take into consideration thatcertain uploading users may desire to upload lower quality videos inorder to reduce data consumption while other uploading users may desireto upload higher quality videos regardless of data consumption.

Due to these or other concerns, conventional approaches specificallyarising in the realm of computer technology can be disadvantageous orproblematic. Therefore, an improved approach rooted in computertechnology that overcomes the foregoing and other disadvantagesassociated with conventional approaches can be beneficial. Based oncomputer technology, the disclosed technology can determine qualitylevels for videos to be uploaded. Various embodiments of the disclosedtechnology can define a set of video quality levels. One or more socialengagement signals associated with videos uploaded at each video qualitylevel out of the set of video quality levels can be acquired.Information associated with each user out of a set of users can beacquired. A respective video quality level for each user can bedetermined based on at least one of the information associated with eachuser or the one or more social engagement signals. It is contemplatedthat there can be many variations and/or other possibilities associatedwith the disclosed technology.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 including an example videoquality module 102 configured to facilitate determining quality levelsfor videos to be uploaded, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the video quality module102 can include a quality definition module 104, a data acquisitionmodule 106, and a quality determination module 108. In some instances,the example system 100 can include at least one data store 110. Thecomponents (e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figure and allfigures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations may includeadditional, fewer, integrated, or different components. Some componentsmay not be shown so as not to obscure relevant details.

In some embodiments, the video quality module 102 can be implemented, inpart or in whole, as software, hardware, or any combination thereof. Ingeneral, a module as discussed herein can be associated with software,hardware, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, one ormore functions, tasks, and/or operations of modules can be carried outor performed by software routines, software processes, hardware, and/orany combination thereof. In some cases, the video quality module 102 canbe implemented, in part or in whole, as software running on one or morecomputing devices or systems, such as on a user or client computingdevice. For example, the video quality module 102 or at least a portionthereof can be implemented as or within an application (e.g., app), aprogram, an applet, or an operating system, etc., running on a usercomputing device or a client computing system, such as the user device610 of FIG. 6. In another example, the video quality module 102 or atleast a portion thereof can be implemented using one or more computingdevices or systems which can include one or more servers, such asnetwork servers or cloud servers. In some instances, the video qualitymodule 102 can, in part or in whole, be implemented within or configuredto operate in conjunction with a social networking system (or service),such as the social networking system 630 of FIG. 6. It should beappreciated that there can be many variations or other possibilities.

The quality definition module 104 can be configured to facilitatedefining (i.e., identifying, selecting, or providing, etc.) a set ofvideo quality levels. In some implementations, the set of video qualitylevels can be defined to include a specified amount of most popular orcommon video quality levels, such as the top X amount of most popularvideo quality levels within the social networking system. In someinstances, the quality definition module 104 can define the set of videoquality levels based on one or more system settings, preferences, orconfigurations, etc. In some cases, manual effort can be utilized, atleast in part, by the quality definition module 104 to define the set ofvideo quality levels. It should also be understood that the qualitydefinition module 104 can define any suitable number of video qualitylevels for the set of video quality levels.

In some embodiments, each video quality level in the set of videoquality levels can be associated with at least one of a resolution, abit rate, or a codec. The quality definition module 104 can cause eachvideo quality level in the set of video quality levels to be defined bya respective resolution, a respective bit rate, and/or a respective code(e.g., codec profile), etc. For example, a first video quality level canbe defined as having a resolution of 640 by 340 pixels, a bit rate of640 kbps, and a baseline codec profile. A second video quality level canbe defined as having a resolution of 640 by 340 pixels, a bit rate of640 kbps, and a main codec profile. Continuing with this example, athird video quality level can be defined as having a resolution of 640by 340 pixels, a bit rate of 640 kbps, and a high codec profile. Afourth video quality level can be defined as having a resolution of 640by 480 pixels, a bit rate of 1.2 mbps, and a high codec profile. In someinstances, the set of video quality levels can be used forexperimentation, research, and/or A/B testing purposes. It iscontemplated that all examples herein are provided for illustrativepurposes and that many variations associated with the disclosedtechnology are possible.

In addition, the data acquisition module 106 can be configured tofacilitate acquiring one or more social engagement signals associatedwith videos uploaded at each video quality level out of the set of videoquality levels. The data acquisition module 106 can be furtherconfigured to facilitate acquiring information associated with each userout of a set of users. More details regarding the data acquisitionmodule 106 will be provided below with reference to FIG. 2A.

Moreover, the quality determination module 108 can be configured tofacilitate determining, based on at least one of the informationassociated with each user or the one or more social engagement signals,a respective video quality level for each user. As such, the determined(or selected, identified, etc.) video quality level can be personalizedor customized for each user. The quality determination module 108 willbe discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2B.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the video quality module 102 can beconfigured to facilitate identifying, for a particular region, aparticular video quality level out of the set of video quality levels.In some cases, the particular region can correspond to a country, state,province, county, city, or district, etc. In some instances, theparticular region can be one out of a plurality of regions. Moreover,the video quality module 102 can be configured to facilitate determiningthat a particular user, out of the set of users, is located in theparticular region. The video quality module 102 can also be configuredto facilitate selecting the particular video quality level for theparticular user prior to acquiring the information associated with eachuser out of the set of users. In one example, the video quality module102 can initially select the particular video quality level for theparticular user and can modify the video quality level for theparticular user over time, such as when information associated with theparticular user is acquired and/or when social engagement signals areacquired. As discussed above, the set of video quality levels can beused for experimentation, research, and/or A/B testing purposes, such asfor determining or identifying a respective default/initial videoquality level to be utilized for each region out of the plurality ofregions. It should be understood that many variations are possible.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the video quality module 102 can beconfigured to communicate and/or operate with the at least one datastore 110, as shown in the example system 100. The at least one datastore 110 can be configured to store and maintain various types of data.In some implementations, the at least one data store 110 can storeinformation associated with the social networking system (e.g., thesocial networking system 630 of FIG. 6). The information associated withthe social networking system can include data about users, socialconnections, social interactions, locations, geo-fenced areas, maps,places, events, pages, groups, posts, communications, content, feeds,account settings, privacy settings, a social graph, and various othertypes of data. In some implementations, the at least one data store 110can store information associated with users, such as user identifiers,user information, profile information, user locations, user specifiedsettings, content produced or posted by users, and various other typesof user data. In some embodiments, the at least one data store 110 canstore information that is utilized by the video quality module 102.Again, it is contemplated that there can be many variations or otherpossibilities associated with the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example data acquisition module 202 configured tofacilitate determining quality levels for videos to be uploaded,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the data acquisition module 106 of FIG. 1 can beimplemented as the example data acquisition module 202. As shown in FIG.2A, the data acquisition module 202 can include a social engagementsignal module 204 and a user information module 206.

As discussed previously, the data acquisition module 202 can beconfigured to facilitate acquiring one or more social engagement signalsassociated with videos uploaded at each video quality level out of a setof video quality levels. The data acquisition module 202 can utilize thesocial engagement signal module 204 to acquire the one or more socialengagement signals. The one or more social engagement signals can, forexample, be associated with at least one of a like (or up-vote)operation, a share (or re-share) operation, a comment (or reply)operation, an absence of a delete operation, or a save (or bookmark)operation, etc.

In some implementations, the social engagement signal module 204 canreside within and/or can operate in conjunction with the socialnetworking system to retrieve, receive, or otherwise acquire the one ormore social engagement signals associated with videos uploaded to thesocial networking system. Such uploaded videos can have different videoquality levels. In some cases, social engagement toward videos can varybased on the video quality for the videos. For example, a first videohaving higher video quality can receive more social engagement than asecond video having lower video quality. It is contemplated that manyvariations are possible.

Moreover, the data acquisition module 202 can also be configured tofacilitate acquiring information associated with each user out of a setof users, as discussed above. The data acquisition module 202 canutilize the user information module 206 to acquire the informationassociated with each user out of the set of users. The set of users cancorrespond to all or some portion of a quantity of users who uploadvideos, such as video uploaders who post or share video content via thesocial networking system.

With respect to information associated with each user, one or more videoquality levels for the user may be defined or determined based at leastin part on whom the user is and any relevant associated characteristicsof the user. In some embodiments, the information associated with eachuser can include at least one of a property of a respective device(i.e., computing device or system) for each user, a network conditionassociated with the respective device for each user, upload cessationdata for each user, or a preference (e.g., manual instruction oroverride command) provided by each user, etc. In one example, theproperty of the respective device for each user can be associated withat least one of a codec capability, a manufacturer identifier, a modelidentifier, an operating system version, or a location (e.g., currentgeolocation), etc. In another example, the network condition can beassociated with at least one of a network type (e.g., WiFi, 2G, 3G, 4G,LTE, roaming network, etc.), network bandwidth, network connectivity,network availability, a network address (e.g., IP address), or around-trip time, etc. In a further example, the upload cessation datafor each user can indicate at least one of a user-initiated video uploadcancellation or a video upload failure, etc. Again, many variations arepossible.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example quality determination module 222configured to facilitate determining quality levels for videos to beuploaded, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the quality determination module 108 of FIG. 1 can beimplemented as the example quality determination module 222. As shown inFIG. 2B, the quality determination module 222 can include a socialengagement processing module 224, an upload cessation processing module226, and a machine learning module 228.

As discussed, the quality determination module 222 can be configured tofacilitate determining, based on at least one of information associatedwith users or social engagement signals, a respective video qualitylevel for each of the users. In some embodiments, determining therespective video quality level for each user can further compriseanalyzing the one or more social engagement signals. Upload cessationdata associated with each user can be acquired from the informationassociated with each user. The upload cessation data associated witheach user can be analyzed. The respective video quality level for eachuser can be identified such that a calculated upload cessationlikelihood metric is minimized while a calculated social engagementlikelihood metric is maximized. As such, the respective video qualitylevel can be customized or personalized for each user. In some cases,the identified video quality level for a particular user need not beincluded in the defined set of video quality levels.

In some instances, the calculated upload cessation likelihood metric cancorrespond to a confidence score indicating how likely an uploadcessation will occur. For example, the calculated upload cessationlikelihood metric can increase as video quality increases, since anincrease in video quality can result in a larger file size for a videoto be uploaded, which can produce higher probabilities of user-initiatedupload cancellation or upload failure. In some cases, the calculatedsocial engagement likelihood metric can correspond to a predictedincrease in social engagement, or the calculated social engagementlikelihood metric can correspond to another confidence score indicatinga level of social engagement. For instance, as the video quality of avideo increases, there can be an increase in social engagement directedto the video due to increased interaction from viewers of the video.Accordingly, the disclosed technology attempts to identify an optimal orbalanced point with respect to video quality, such that the calculatedupload cessation likelihood metric is minimized and the calculatedsocial engagement likelihood metric is maximized.

In some implementations, the quality determination module 222 canutilize the social engagement processing module 224 to analyze the oneor more social engagement signals. In some embodiments, the qualitydetermination module 222 can utilize the upload cessation processingmodule 226 to acquire, from the information associated with each user,upload cessation data associated with each user. The upload cessationprocessing module 226 can also analyze the upload cessation dataassociated with each user. In some cases, based on analyzing the socialengagement signals and/or the upload cessation data, the socialengagement processing module 224 and/or the upload cessation processingmodule 226 can facilitate identifying the respective video quality levelfor each user. The respective video quality level for each user can beidentified such that the calculated upload cessation likelihood metricis minimized while the calculated social engagement likelihood metric ismaximized. As discussed, there can be many variations or otherpossibilities associated with the disclosed technology.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the quality determination module 222can utilize the machine learning module 228 to facilitate applying oneor more machine learning processes to the information associated witheach user and the one or more social engagement signals in order todetermine the respective video quality level for each user. As such, themachine learning module 228 can identify the optimal or balanced pointwith respect to video quality, such that the calculated upload cessationlikelihood metric is minimized and the calculated social engagementlikelihood metric is maximized. In some cases, the machine learningmodule 228 can train a model or classifier to facilitate identifying apersonalized or customized video quality level for each user. Again,many variations are possible.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example scenario 300 associated with determiningquality levels for videos to be uploaded, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The example scenario 300 illustrates at leastone server 302 configured to facilitate determining quality levels forvideos to be uploaded. For instance, the at least one server 302 canimplement or utilize the video quality module 102 of FIG. 1. As shown inthis example scenario 300 of FIG. 3, there can be a first user (e.g.,User 1) who is associated with a first device 310 as well as a seconduser (e.g., User 2) who is associated with a second device 320.

In this example scenario 300, User 1 has decided to post, publish, orshare a first video. As such, User 1 can initiate a first Start Command312, which is transmitted to the at least one server 302. The firstStart Command 312 can include data such as information 314 associatedwith User 1 (and/or with User 1's device 310). The information 314associated with User 1 can indicate an IP address, a round-trip time, anetwork type, and/or a device model identifier, etc. This information314 associated with User 1 can be acquired or received by the at leastone server 302. Based on this information 314 associated with User 1,the server 302 can determine that video quality A 316 is most suitablefor User 1 (or the first device 310). In this example, when User 1 (orthe first device 310) uploads the first video, the video quality of thefirst video can correspond to video quality A 316.

Similarly, in this example scenario 300, User 2 has decided to post,publish, or share a second video. User 2 can initiate a second StartCommand 322, which is also transmitted to the at least one server 302.The second Start Command 322 can include information 324 associated withUser 2 (and/or with User 2's device 320). The information 324 associatedwith User 2 can indicate an IP address, a round-trip time, a networktype, and/or a device model identifier, etc. This information 324associated with User 2 can be acquired or received by the at least oneserver 302. Based on this information 324 associated with User 2, theserver 302 can determine that video quality B 326 is most suitable forUser 2 (or the first device 320). In this example, when User 2 (or thesecond device 320) uploads the second video, the video quality of thesecond video can correspond to video quality B 326. It should beappreciated that many variations associated with the disclosedtechnology are possible.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method 400 associated with determiningquality levels for videos to be uploaded, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. It should be appreciated that there can beadditional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar oralternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the variousembodiments unless otherwise stated.

At block 402, the example method 400 can define a set of video qualitylevels. At block 404, the example method 400 can acquire one or moresocial engagement signals associated with videos uploaded at each videoquality level out of the set of video quality levels. At block 406, theexample method 400 can acquire information associated with each user outof a set of users. At block 408, the example method 400 can determine,based on at least one of the information associated with each user orthe one or more social engagement signals, a respective video qualitylevel for each user.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method 500 associated with determiningquality levels for videos to be uploaded, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. As discussed, it should be understood that therecan be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar oralternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the variousembodiments unless otherwise stated.

At block 502, the example method 500 can analyze the one or more socialengagement signals. At block 504, the example method 500 can acquire,from the information associated with each user, upload cessation dataassociated with each user. At block 506, the example method 500 cananalyze the upload cessation data associated with each user. At block508, the example method 500 can identify the respective video qualitylevel for each user such that a calculated upload cessation likelihoodmetric is minimized while a calculated social engagement likelihoodmetric is maximized.

It is contemplated that there can be many other uses, applications,features, possibilities, and/or variations associated with variousembodiments of the present disclosure. For example, users can, in somecases, choose whether or not to opt-in to utilize the disclosedtechnology. The disclosed technology can, for instance, also ensure thatvarious privacy settings, preferences, and configurations are maintainedand can prevent private information from being divulged. In anotherexample, various embodiments of the present disclosure can learn,improve, and/or be refined over time.

Social Networking System—Example Implementation

FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of an example system 600 that canbe utilized in various scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The system 600 includes one or more user devices610, one or more external systems 620, a social networking system (orservice) 630, and a network 650. In an embodiment, the social networkingservice, provider, and/or system discussed in connection with theembodiments described above may be implemented as the social networkingsystem 630. For purposes of illustration, the embodiment of the system600, shown by FIG. 6, includes a single external system 620 and a singleuser device 610. However, in other embodiments, the system 600 mayinclude more user devices 610 and/or more external systems 620. Incertain embodiments, the social networking system 630 is operated by asocial network provider, whereas the external systems 620 are separatefrom the social networking system 630 in that they may be operated bydifferent entities. In various embodiments, however, the socialnetworking system 630 and the external systems 620 operate inconjunction to provide social networking services to users (or members)of the social networking system 630. In this sense, the socialnetworking system 630 provides a platform or backbone, which othersystems, such as external systems 620, may use to provide socialnetworking services and functionalities to users across the Internet. Insome embodiments, the social networking system 630 can include orcorrespond to a social media system (or service).

The user device 610 comprises one or more computing devices (or systems)that can receive input from a user and transmit and receive data via thenetwork 650. In one embodiment, the user device 610 is a conventionalcomputer system executing, for example, a Microsoft Windows compatibleoperating system (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a Linux distribution. Inanother embodiment, the user device 610 can be a computing device or adevice having computer functionality, such as a smart-phone, a tablet, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a laptop computer,a wearable device (e.g., a pair of glasses, a watch, a bracelet, etc.),a camera, an appliance, etc. The user device 610 is configured tocommunicate via the network 650. The user device 610 can execute anapplication, for example, a browser application that allows a user ofthe user device 610 to interact with the social networking system 630.In another embodiment, the user device 610 interacts with the socialnetworking system 630 through an application programming interface (API)provided by the native operating system of the user device 610, such asiOS and ANDROID. The user device 610 is configured to communicate withthe external system 620 and the social networking system 630 via thenetwork 650, which may comprise any combination of local area and/orwide area networks, using wired and/or wireless communication systems.

In one embodiment, the network 650 uses standard communicationstechnologies and protocols. Thus, the network 650 can include linksusing technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11 (e.g., Wi-Fi), worldwideinteroperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE,digital subscriber line (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocolsused on the network 650 can include multiprotocol label switching(MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), UserDatagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simplemail transfer protocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and thelike. The data exchanged over the network 650 can be represented usingtechnologies and/or formats including hypertext markup language (HTML)and extensible markup language (XML). In addition, all or some links canbe encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as securesockets layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and InternetProtocol security (IPsec).

In one embodiment, the user device 610 may display content from theexternal system 620 and/or from the social networking system 630 byprocessing a markup language document 614 received from the externalsystem 620 and from the social networking system 630 using a browserapplication 612. The markup language document 614 identifies content andone or more instructions describing formatting or presentation of thecontent. By executing the instructions included in the markup languagedocument 614, the browser application 612 displays the identifiedcontent using the format or presentation described by the markuplanguage document 614. For example, the markup language document 614includes instructions for generating and displaying a web page havingmultiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from theexternal system 620 and the social networking system 630. In variousembodiments, the markup language document 614 comprises a data fileincluding extensible markup language (XML) data, extensible hypertextmarkup language (XHTML) data, or other markup language data.Additionally, the markup language document 614 may include JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding (JSONP), and JavaScriptdata to facilitate data-interchange between the external system 620 andthe user device 610. The browser application 612 on the user device 610may use a JavaScript compiler to decode the markup language document614.

The markup language document 614 may also include, or link to,applications or application frameworks such as FLASH™ or Unity™applications, the Silverlight™ application framework, etc.

In one embodiment, the user device 610 also includes one or more cookies616 including data indicating whether a user of the user device 610 islogged into the social networking system 630, which may enablemodification of the data communicated from the social networking system630 to the user device 610.

The external system 620 includes one or more web servers that includeone or more web pages 622 a, 622 b, which are communicated to the userdevice 610 using the network 650. The external system 620 is separatefrom the social networking system 630. For example, the external system620 is associated with a first domain, while the social networkingsystem 630 is associated with a separate social networking domain. Webpages 622 a, 622 b, included in the external system 620, comprise markuplanguage documents 614 identifying content and including instructionsspecifying formatting or presentation of the identified content.

The social networking system 630 includes one or more computing devicesfor a social network, including a plurality of users, and providingusers of the social network with the ability to communicate and interactwith other users of the social network. In some instances, the socialnetwork can be represented by a graph, i.e., a data structure includingedges and nodes. Other data structures can also be used to represent thesocial network, including but not limited to databases, objects,classes, meta elements, files, or any other data structure. The socialnetworking system 630 may be administered, managed, or controlled by anoperator. The operator of the social networking system 630 may be ahuman being, an automated application, or a series of applications formanaging content, regulating policies, and collecting usage metricswithin the social networking system 630. Any type of operator may beused.

Users may join the social networking system 630 and then add connectionsto any number of other users of the social networking system 630 to whomthey desire to be connected. As used herein, the term “friend” refers toany other user of the social networking system 630 to whom a user hasformed a connection, association, or relationship via the socialnetworking system 630. For example, in an embodiment, if users in thesocial networking system 630 are represented as nodes in the socialgraph, the term “friend” can refer to an edge formed between anddirectly connecting two user nodes.

Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be automaticallycreated by the social networking system 630 based on commoncharacteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of the sameeducational institution). For example, a first user specifically selectsa particular other user to be a friend. Connections in the socialnetworking system 630 are usually in both directions, but need not be,so the terms “user” and “friend” depend on the frame of reference.Connections between users of the social networking system 630 areusually bilateral (“two-way”), or “mutual,” but connections may also beunilateral, or “one-way.” For example, if Bob and Joe are both users ofthe social networking system 630 and connected to each other, Bob andJoe are each other's connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes toconnect to Joe to view data communicated to the social networking system630 by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, aunilateral connection may be established. The connection between usersmay be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of the socialnetworking system 630 allow the connection to be indirect via one ormore levels of connections or degrees of separation.

In addition to establishing and maintaining connections between usersand allowing interactions between users, the social networking system630 provides users with the ability to take actions on various types ofitems supported by the social networking system 630. These items mayinclude groups or networks (i.e., social networks of people, entities,and concepts) to which users of the social networking system 630 maybelong, events or calendar entries in which a user might be interested,computer-based applications that a user may use via the socialnetworking system 630, transactions that allow users to buy or sellitems via services provided by or through the social networking system630, and interactions with advertisements that a user may perform on oroff the social networking system 630. These are just a few examples ofthe items upon which a user may act on the social networking system 630,and many others are possible. A user may interact with anything that iscapable of being represented in the social networking system 630 or inthe external system 620, separate from the social networking system 630,or coupled to the social networking system 630 via the network 650.

The social networking system 630 is also capable of linking a variety ofentities. For example, the social networking system 630 enables users tointeract with each other as well as external systems 620 or otherentities through an API, a web service, or other communication channels.The social networking system 630 generates and maintains the “socialgraph” comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality ofedges. Each node in the social graph may represent an entity that canact on another node and/or that can be acted on by another node. Thesocial graph may include various types of nodes. Examples of types ofnodes include users, non-person entities, content items, web pages,groups, activities, messages, concepts, and any other things that can berepresented by an object in the social networking system 630. An edgebetween two nodes in the social graph may represent a particular kind ofconnection, or association, between the two nodes, which may result fromnode relationships or from an action that was performed by one of thenodes on the other node. In some cases, the edges between nodes can beweighted. The weight of an edge can represent an attribute associatedwith the edge, such as a strength of the connection or associationbetween nodes. Different types of edges can be provided with differentweights. For example, an edge created when one user “likes” another usermay be given one weight, while an edge created when a user befriendsanother user may be given a different weight.

As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a friend,an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node representingthe first user and a second node representing the second user. Asvarious nodes relate or interact with each other, the social networkingsystem 630 modifies edges connecting the various nodes to reflect therelationships and interactions.

The social networking system 630 also includes user-generated content,which enhances a user's interactions with the social networking system630. User-generated content may include anything a user can add, upload,send, or “post” to the social networking system 630. For example, a usercommunicates posts to the social networking system 630 from a userdevice 610. Posts may include data such as status updates or othertextual data, location information, images such as photos, videos,links, music or other similar data and/or media. Content may also beadded to the social networking system 630 by a third party. Content“items” are represented as objects in the social networking system 630.In this way, users of the social networking system 630 are encouraged tocommunicate with each other by posting text and content items of varioustypes of media through various communication channels. Suchcommunication increases the interaction of users with each other andincreases the frequency with which users interact with the socialnetworking system 630.

The social networking system 630 includes a web server 632, an APIrequest server 634, a user profile store 636, a connection store 638, anaction logger 640, an activity log 642, and an authorization server 644.In an embodiment of the invention, the social networking system 630 mayinclude additional, fewer, or different components for variousapplications. Other components, such as network interfaces, securitymechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management and networkoperations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure thedetails of the system.

The user profile store 636 maintains information about user accounts,including biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptiveinformation, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies orpreferences, location, and the like that has been declared by users orinferred by the social networking system 630. This information is storedin the user profile store 636 such that each user is uniquelyidentified. The social networking system 630 also stores data describingone or more connections between different users in the connection store638. The connection information may indicate users who have similar orcommon work experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educationalhistory. Additionally, the social networking system 630 includesuser-defined connections between different users, allowing users tospecify their relationships with other users. For example, user-definedconnections allow users to generate relationships with other users thatparallel the users' real-life relationships, such as friends,co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select from predefinedtypes of connections, or define their own connection types as needed.Connections with other nodes in the social networking system 630, suchas non-person entities, buckets, cluster centers, images, interests,pages, external systems, concepts, and the like are also stored in theconnection store 638.

The social networking system 630 maintains data about objects with whicha user may interact. To maintain this data, the user profile store 636and the connection store 638 store instances of the corresponding typeof objects maintained by the social networking system 630. Each objecttype has information fields that are suitable for storing informationappropriate to the type of object. For example, the user profile store636 contains data structures with fields suitable for describing auser's account and information related to a user's account. When a newobject of a particular type is created, the social networking system 630initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns aunique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the object asneeded. This might occur, for example, when a user becomes a user of thesocial networking system 630, the social networking system 630 generatesa new instance of a user profile in the user profile store 636, assignsa unique identifier to the user account, and begins to populate thefields of the user account with information provided by the user.

The connection store 638 includes data structures suitable fordescribing a user's connections to other users, connections to externalsystems 620 or connections to other entities. The connection store 638may also associate a connection type with a user's connections, whichmay be used in conjunction with the user's privacy setting to regulateaccess to information about the user. In an embodiment of the invention,the user profile store 636 and the connection store 638 may beimplemented as a federated database.

Data stored in the connection store 638, the user profile store 636, andthe activity log 642 enables the social networking system 630 togenerate the social graph that uses nodes to identify various objectsand edges connecting nodes to identify relationships between differentobjects. For example, if a first user establishes a connection with asecond user in the social networking system 630, user accounts of thefirst user and the second user from the user profile store 636 may actas nodes in the social graph. The connection between the first user andthe second user stored by the connection store 638 is an edge betweenthe nodes associated with the first user and the second user. Continuingthis example, the second user may then send the first user a messagewithin the social networking system 630. The action of sending themessage, which may be stored, is another edge between the two nodes inthe social graph representing the first user and the second user.Additionally, the message itself may be identified and included in thesocial graph as another node connected to the nodes representing thefirst user and the second user.

In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image thatis maintained by the social networking system 630 (or, alternatively, inan image maintained by another system outside of the social networkingsystem 630). The image may itself be represented as a node in the socialnetworking system 630. This tagging action may create edges between thefirst user and the second user as well as create an edge between each ofthe users and the image, which is also a node in the social graph. Inyet another example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user andthe event are nodes obtained from the user profile store 636, where theattendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may beretrieved from the activity log 642. By generating and maintaining thesocial graph, the social networking system 630 includes data describingmany different types of objects and the interactions and connectionsamong those objects, providing a rich source of socially relevantinformation.

The web server 632 links the social networking system 630 to one or moreuser devices 610 and/or one or more external systems 620 via the network650. The web server 632 serves web pages, as well as other web-relatedcontent, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML, and so forth. The webserver 632 may include a mail server or other messaging functionalityfor receiving and routing messages between the social networking system630 and one or more user devices 610. The messages can be instantmessages, queued messages (e.g., email), text and SMS messages, or anyother suitable messaging format.

The API request server 634 allows one or more external systems 620 anduser devices 610 to call access information from the social networkingsystem 630 by calling one or more API functions. The API request server634 may also allow external systems 620 to send information to thesocial networking system 630 by calling APIs. The external system 620,in one embodiment, sends an API request to the social networking system630 via the network 650, and the API request server 634 receives the APIrequest. The API request server 634 processes the request by calling anAPI associated with the API request to generate an appropriate response,which the API request server 634 communicates to the external system 620via the network 650. For example, responsive to an API request, the APIrequest server 634 collects data associated with a user, such as theuser's connections that have logged into the external system 620, andcommunicates the collected data to the external system 620. In anotherembodiment, the user device 610 communicates with the social networkingsystem 630 via APIs in the same manner as external systems 620.

The action logger 640 is capable of receiving communications from theweb server 632 about user actions on and/or off the social networkingsystem 630. The action logger 640 populates the activity log 642 withinformation about user actions, enabling the social networking system630 to discover various actions taken by its users within the socialnetworking system 630 and outside of the social networking system 630.Any action that a particular user takes with respect to another node onthe social networking system 630 may be associated with each user'saccount, through information maintained in the activity log 642 or in asimilar database or other data repository. Examples of actions taken bya user within the social networking system 630 that are identified andstored may include, for example, adding a connection to another user,sending a message to another user, reading a message from another user,viewing content associated with another user, attending an event postedby another user, posting an image, attempting to post an image, or otheractions interacting with another user or another object. When a usertakes an action within the social networking system 630, the action isrecorded in the activity log 642. In one embodiment, the socialnetworking system 630 maintains the activity log 642 as a database ofentries. When an action is taken within the social networking system630, an entry for the action is added to the activity log 642. Theactivity log 642 may be referred to as an action log.

Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and actionsthat occur within an entity outside of the social networking system 630,such as an external system 620 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 630. For example, the action logger 640 may receivedata describing a user's interaction with an external system 620 fromthe web server 632. In this example, the external system 620 reports auser's interaction according to structured actions and objects in thesocial graph.

Other examples of actions where a user interacts with an external system620 include a user expressing an interest in an external system 620 oranother entity, a user posting a comment to the social networking system630 that discusses an external system 620 or a web page 622 a within theexternal system 620, a user posting to the social networking system 630a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other identifier associated with anexternal system 620, a user attending an event associated with anexternal system 620, or any other action by a user that is related to anexternal system 620. Thus, the activity log 642 may include actionsdescribing interactions between a user of the social networking system630 and an external system 620 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 630.

The authorization server 644 enforces one or more privacy settings ofthe users of the social networking system 630. A privacy setting of auser determines how particular information associated with a user can beshared. The privacy setting comprises the specification of particularinformation associated with a user and the specification of the entityor entities with whom the information can be shared. Examples ofentities with which information can be shared may include other users,applications, external systems 620, or any entity that can potentiallyaccess the information. The information that can be shared by a usercomprises user account information, such as profile photos, phonenumbers associated with the user, user's connections, actions taken bythe user such as adding a connection, changing user profile information,and the like.

The privacy setting specification may be provided at different levels ofgranularity. For example, the privacy setting may identify specificinformation to be shared with other users; the privacy settingidentifies a work phone number or a specific set of related information,such as, personal information including profile photo, home phonenumber, and status. Alternatively, the privacy setting may apply to allthe information associated with the user. The specification of the setof entities that can access particular information can also be specifiedat various levels of granularity. Various sets of entities with whichinformation can be shared may include, for example, all friends of theuser, all friends of friends, all applications, or all external systems620. One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities tocomprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may provide alist of external systems 620 that are allowed to access certaininformation. Another embodiment allows the specification to comprise aset of entities along with exceptions that are not allowed to access theinformation. For example, a user may allow all external systems 620 toaccess the user's work information, but specify a list of externalsystems 620 that are not allowed to access the work information. Certainembodiments call the list of exceptions that are not allowed to accesscertain information a “block list”. External systems 620 belonging to ablock list specified by a user are blocked from accessing theinformation specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations ofgranularity of specification of information, and granularity ofspecification of entities, with which information is shared arepossible. For example, all personal information may be shared withfriends whereas all work information may be shared with friends offriends.

The authorization server 644 contains logic to determine if certaininformation associated with a user can be accessed by a user's friends,external systems 620, and/or other applications and entities. Theexternal system 620 may need authorization from the authorization server644 to access the user's more private and sensitive information, such asthe user's work phone number. Based on the user's privacy settings, theauthorization server 644 determines if another user, the external system620, an application, or another entity is allowed to access informationassociated with the user, including information about actions taken bythe user.

In some embodiments, the social networking system 630 can include avideo quality module 646. The video quality module 646 can, for example,be implemented as the video quality module 102 of FIG. 1. As discussedpreviously, it should be appreciated that there can be many variationsor other possibilities associated with the disclosed technology. Forexample, in some instances, the video quality module (or at least aportion thereof) can be included or implemented in the user device 610.Other features of the video quality module 646 are discussed herein inconnection with the video quality module 102.

Hardware Implementation

The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a widevariety of machine and computer system architectures and in a widevariety of network and computing environments. FIG. 7 illustrates anexample of a computer system 700 that may be used to implement one ormore of the embodiments described herein in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The computer system 700 includes sets ofinstructions for causing the computer system 700 to perform theprocesses and features discussed herein. The computer system 700 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the computer system 700 may operate in the capacity of aserver machine or a client machine in a client-server networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. In an embodiment of the invention, the computersystem 700 may be the social networking system 630, the user device 610,and the external system 620, or a component thereof. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the computer system 700 may be one server among many thatconstitutes all or part of the social networking system 630.

The computer system 700 includes a processor 702, a cache 704, and oneor more executable modules and drivers, stored on a computer-readablemedium, directed to the processes and features described herein.Additionally, the computer system 700 includes a high performanceinput/output (I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. A host bridge 710couples processor 702 to high performance I/O bus 706, whereas I/O busbridge 712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 to each other. A systemmemory 714 and one or more network interfaces 716 couple to highperformance I/O bus 706. The computer system 700 may further includevideo memory and a display device coupled to the video memory (notshown). Mass storage 718 and I/O ports 720 couple to the standard I/Obus 708. The computer system 700 may optionally include a keyboard andpointing device, a display device, or other input/output devices (notshown) coupled to the standard I/O bus 708. Collectively, these elementsare intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems,including but not limited to computer systems based on thex86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of the computersystem 700, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Other implementations are possible.

The elements of the computer system 700 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, the network interface 716 provides communicationbetween the computer system 700 and any of a wide range of networks,such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Themass storage 718 provides permanent storage for the data and programminginstructions to perform the above-described processes and featuresimplemented by the respective computing systems identified above,whereas the system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storagefor the data and programming instructions when executed by the processor702. The I/O ports 720 may be one or more serial and/or parallelcommunication ports that provide communication between additionalperipheral devices, which may be coupled to the computer system 700.

The computer system 700 may include a variety of system architectures,and various components of the computer system 700 may be rearranged. Forexample, the cache 704 may be on-chip with processor 702. Alternatively,the cache 704 and the processor 702 may be packed together as a“processor module”, with processor 702 being referred to as the“processor core”. Furthermore, certain embodiments of the invention mayneither require nor include all of the above components. For example,peripheral devices coupled to the standard I/O bus 708 may couple to thehigh performance I/O bus 706. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of the computer system 700being coupled to the single bus. Moreover, the computer system 700 mayinclude additional components, such as additional processors, storagedevices, or memories.

In general, the processes and features described herein may beimplemented as part of an operating system or a specific application,component, program, object, module, or series of instructions referredto as “programs”. For example, one or more programs may be used toexecute specific processes described herein. The programs typicallycomprise one or more instructions in various memory and storage devicesin the computer system 700 that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors, cause the computer system 700 to perform operations toexecute the processes and features described herein. The processes andfeatures described herein may be implemented in software, firmware,hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or anycombination thereof.

In one implementation, the processes and features described herein areimplemented as a series of executable modules run by the computer system700, individually or collectively in a distributed computingenvironment. The foregoing modules may be realized by hardware,executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium (ormachine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For example, themodules may comprise a plurality or series of instructions to beexecuted by a processor in a hardware system, such as the processor 702.Initially, the series of instructions may be stored on a storage device,such as the mass storage 718. However, the series of instructions can bestored on any suitable computer readable storage medium. Furthermore,the series of instructions need not be stored locally, and could bereceived from a remote storage device, such as a server on a network,via the network interface 716. The instructions are copied from thestorage device, such as the mass storage 718, into the system memory 714and then accessed and executed by the processor 702. In variousimplementations, a module or modules can be executed by a processor ormultiple processors in one or multiple locations, such as multipleservers in a parallel processing environment.

Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices;solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks; hard diskdrives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-OnlyMemory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other similarnon-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible) storagemedium; or any type of medium suitable for storing, encoding, orcarrying a series of instructions for execution by the computer system700 to perform any one or more of the processes and features describedherein.

For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the description. It will beapparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of thedisclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In someinstances, modules, structures, processes, features, and devices areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description.In other instances, functional block diagrams and flow diagrams areshown to represent data and logic flows. The components of blockdiagrams and flow diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices,features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed,reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly describedand depicted herein.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“other embodiments”, “one series of embodiments”, “some embodiments”,“various embodiments”, or the like means that a particular feature,design, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of, for example, the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in anembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternativeembodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whetheror not there is express reference to an “embodiment” or the like,various features are described, which may be variously combined andincluded in some embodiments, but also variously omitted in otherembodiments. Similarly, various features are described that may bepreferences or requirements for some embodiments, but not otherembodiments. Furthermore, reference in this specification to “based on”can mean “based, at least in part, on”, “based on at least aportion/part of”, “at least a portion/part of which is based on”, and/orany combination thereof.

The language used herein has been principally selected for readabilityand instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected todelineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is thereforeintended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detaileddescription, but rather by any claims that issue on an application basedhereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the inventionis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of theinvention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:associating, by a computing system, a region with a first quality levelfor uploading content; determining, by the computing system, a user isassociated with the region; selecting, by the computing system, for theuser a first quality level based on the determining; and selecting, bythe computing system, for the user a second quality level for uploadingcontent instead of the first quality level in response to at least oneof information associated with the user or social engagement signals. 2.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content includesvideo.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the firstquality level and the second quality level are, respectively, a firstvideo quality level and a second video quality level.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the informationassociated with the user includes at least one of upload cessation dataof the user, a property of a device of the user, a network conditionassociated with the device of the user, or a preference provided by theuser.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the uploadcessation data of the user is associated with at least one of auser-initiated video upload cancellation or a video upload failure. 6.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the socialengagement signals are associated with at least one of a like operation,a share operation, a comment operation, an absence of a deleteoperation, or a save operation.
 7. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein a set of quality levels associated with most commonquality levels for uploading content to a social networking systemincludes the first quality level and the second quality level.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of thefirst quality level and the second quality level is associated with atleast one of a resolution, a bit rate, or a codec.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selecting for theuser a second quality level comprises: minimizing a first metricrelating to the information associated with the user; and maximizing asecond metric relating to the social engagement signals.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a machine learningprocess based on the information associated with the user and the socialengagement signals determines the second quality level.
 11. A systemcomprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing instructionsthat, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system toperform: associating a region with a first quality level for uploadingcontent; determining a user is associated with the region; selecting forthe user a first quality level based on the determining; and selectingfor the user a second quality level for uploading content instead of thefirst quality level in response to at least one of informationassociated with the user or social engagement signals.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the first quality level and the second quality levelare, respectively, a first video quality level and a second videoquality level.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the informationassociated with the user includes at least one of upload cessation dataof the user, a property of a device of the user, a network conditionassociated with the device of the user, or a preference provided by theuser.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the upload cessation data ofthe user is associated with at least one of a user-initiated videoupload cancellation or a video upload failure.
 15. The system of claim11, wherein a set of quality levels associated with most common qualitylevels for uploading content to a social networking system includes thefirst quality level and the second quality level.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium including instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor of a computing system, cause thecomputing system to perform a method comprising: associating a regionwith a first quality level for uploading content; determining a user isassociated with the region; selecting for the user a first quality levelbased on the determining; and selecting for the user a second qualitylevel for uploading content instead of the first quality level inresponse to at least one of information associated with the user orsocial engagement signals.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the first quality level and thesecond quality level are, respectively, a first video quality level anda second video quality level.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the information associated with theuser includes at least one of upload cessation data of the user, aproperty of a device of the user, a network condition associated withthe device of the user, or a preference provided by the user.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein theupload cessation data of the user is associated with at least one of auser-initiated video upload cancellation or a video upload failure. 20.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, whereina set of quality levels associated with most common quality levels foruploading content to a social networking system includes the firstquality level and the second quality level.